Harley Begins
by Sir Turtle Longshanks
Summary: Does what it says in the title. Joker/Harley. Set about a year after TDK. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Right, first story. Based on my random thoughts, The Dark Knight, Batman: The Animated Series etc, I hope you like it. :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except the Joker. Ha, I wish.**

The massive building loomed over the small, blonde girl. Straight out of university, Harleen Quinzel was accepted to intern at the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Initially, she had been ecstatic; she had dreamed of working with such fascinating criminals for as long as she could remember. However, the reality of it hit her like a train as she woke up that morning, realising just how dangerous these patients actually were.

She knew of Jonathan Crane, who had been the head psychologist at Arkham before slipping into insanity himself. The only other patient she'd heard of was the Joker; the psychopathic clown who had been taken to Arkham - after causing chaos throughout Gotham - not long after Dr. Crane. Harleen had always found him particularly fascinating, and although she wouldn't admit it, hoped that she would get the chance to talk to him.

The reception area was dull, the cold, gray walls long overdue another coat of paint. The only sounds to be heard were Harleen's echoing footsteps on the hard cement floor and the faint tapping sound of the woman at the reception desk typing something into the outdated computer.

"Excuse me," Harleen spoke, reaching the desk, "I'm Harleen Quinzel, I'm..."

"The intern. Take a seat, Dr. Arkham will be with you shortly." The little frumpy woman behind the desk's voice was monotonous, uninterested. Harleen politely nodded and took a seat on one of the hard plastic chairs to her right.

A few minutes passed before Harleen was greeted by a tall, lanky man with thinning brown hair and a trustworthy face. He wore a long white coat over a suit with a mismatched shirt and tie, with a name tag which read "Dr. Jeremiah Arkham," and a pair of old fashioned, wire rimmed glasses.

"Harleen Quinzel?" he asked.

"Yes," Harleen smiled, nodding.

The man smiled back. "Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, owner and head of Arkham," he said, introducing himself. "I'll be helping you through your internship here at the asylum, and if you impress me enough there may be a job offer for you."

Harleen struggled not to let out a squeal of delight at the thought of working permanently at Arkham, and nodded with a huge grin on her face, "I hope I impress you then."

Dr. Arkham chuckled at Harleen's expression. "Follow me now, Harleen, I'll show you around." he instructed kindly, beginning to walk toward the double doors at the other side of the room. Harleen quickly followed him. "Please, call me Harley, everyone does." she requested, still smiling to herself.

**That's probably not the most exciting thing you lot have ever read. Short chapter, forgive me and you shall recieve a cookie. Let me know what you think anyway, even if you think it's terrible. :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**Virtual cookies for scarletnightingale! :) Unfortunately, I still don't own the Joker. Soon...**

Harleen followed Dr. Arkham along the dark, unfeeling hallway. A few screams and slamming doors were heard in the distance. Around a dozen security guards lined up at intervals along the row of cells. Harleen was surprised to find that she could see into every one of them, as one wall of each was glass.

"Can they see us?" she asked, almost nervously, looking into each cell they passed.

"No," Dr. Arkham replied simply, "all they see is a mirror."

Hardly any of the patients they passed sat still. Many of them paced up and down their cells, talking to themselves. Some were rolling on the floor, staring into space or laughing about nothing in particular. One patient was even licking the glass wall. Harleen shuddered.

They were nearing the end of the corridor when he caught her eye. He sat perfectly still, unlike the rest of them, his eyes locked on the glass wall. Although she had been assured the patients couldn't see her, Harleen couldn't help but think he was looking straight at her. She stopped in her tracks for a moment to have a closer look. A quick glance at the wavy, green-tinged, dirty blonde hair, the permanent smile across his face, and that famous, psychopathic stare was enough to tell her that she was looking at the Joker, Gotham's most feared criminal. It was Harleen's dream to work with someone like him, she was sure that whatever went on inside that mixed up head of his was absolutely fascinating. She looked away quickly, to see Dr. Arkham looking back at her, a questioning look on his face.

"Who is his psychologist?" Harleen asked, walking quickly to catch up with Dr. Arkham.

"Patient 4479?" Dr. Arkham asked, referring to the Joker. "Nobody."

"Nobody?" Harleen repeated as they exited the chilling corridor into a brighter room which Harleen assumed was Dr. Arkham's office.

"Take a seat," he smiled. Once Harleen did as instructed, he spoke again. "Nobody. He's a lost cause, Harleen...Harley."

"You've given up on him?" she asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid so." Dr. Arkham leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "Every doctor in this place has had a go at trying to work him out, not one of us has gotten anywhere. Three doctors have quit after talking to him, and another was forced into an early retirement. The rest of the doctors have tried to get somewhere with him, but now refuse to have anything to do with him. I tried to crack him myself, but even I couldn't do it. He refuses to speak about himself, he always turns the conversation around so that he is in control."

Harleen nodded, taking in what Dr. Arkham had said.

"Do you think maybe I could try talking to him?" she blurted out, smiling shyly when she realised she probably sounded crazy for actually asking to work with the Joker.

"I don't know about that, Harley." Dr. Arkham answered, considering the thought. "I don't want to seem harsh, but you're an intern. None of the doctors here could get to him..."

"I understand that, Dr. Arkham," Harleen nodded in agreement, "but I'd like to at least try."

Dr. Arkham looked at her, deep in thought. "I admire your confidence, Harley. Give it a few days. If you still want to see him then, you can. But Harley, don't say I didn't warn you. This man is dangerous, you know that. Don't let him break you."

Harleen stood up. "I won't," she said with a smile.

Dr. Arkham nodded, standing up and walking to the door. "Let's continue your tour, shall we?"

**Reviews are very much welcome. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ooh, cookies for scarletnightingale, Dog chasing cars, LadyCrow1313 and VanillaBear1994 for reviews and alerts! What flavour do you want? ;) The Joker is still not mine. Someone help me kidnap him.**

Harleen was up before her alarm clock that day. She had decided that today would be the day to ask Dr. Arkham about arranging a meeting with the Joker, and she could hardly contain herself. She knew this man was dangerous, she'd heard enough about him on the news for the past year. However, she knew that if she got anywhere with him, it would undoubtedly impress Dr. Arkham, and could be the key to a permanent job at Arkham.

She didn't know what it was about the Joker that drew her to him. She guessed it was how unique he was, like nobody else on the planet. He lived as if there were no rules or expectations, no order. Harleen desperately wanted to know more about him, about how his mind worked, even about his past.

She arrived at Arkham about half an hour earlier than she was expected, and headed straight to Dr. Arkham's office with determination.

She knocked softly on the door. "Dr. Arkham?"

"Come in." She heard his deep voice on the other side of the door, and entered the room.

"Oh, hello Harley. You're early today." he commented, looking up from his papers. "Take a seat."

Harley sat down, preparing herself. She hoped that Dr. Arkham hadn't changed his mind. "Uh...well, I was wondering if I could see the Joker soon." she began, "It's been three days since I first got here and I haven't changed my mind. I want to see what I can do."

Dr. Arkham nodded. He had expected Harleen to change her mind about the Joker. He had put her enthusiasm down to it being her first day, but here she was, still keen to speak to him. She had worked hard over the past few days, mostly helping out with some of the minor patients. He thought it highly unlikely that she'd get anywhere with the Joker. Nobody had yet, so an intern would hardly have a chance. He thought back to Jonathan Crane. He remembered when he was in Harleen's position, straight out of school and eager to help out and try new methods. There was such a similarity between them, he didn't want Harleen to turn out like he had, now in his own cell in Arkham. But with the hopeful look on her face, he knew he couldn't deny her this chance.

"Harley," he paused for a moment, "are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

Harley nodded quickly.

Dr. Arkham sighed. "Alright, I did say you could see him. How about..." he looked down at one of his books, "one o'clock this afternoon, straight after lunch? I'll meet you here."

Harleen's eyes widened in excitement. She hadn't expected to see him so soon.

"Yes! Yes, that would be great. Really, Dr. Arkham, I won't disappoint you, I've been coming up with new ideas..." Harleen rambled on with a huge, grateful smile on her face, her words becoming a blur.

Dr. Arkham sat back in his chair, listening to her as he had listened to Crane only a few years ago. He hoped he wasn't making a terrible mistake.

**Shortest chapter ever, I think. :P But, yes, the Joker will be in the next chapter. :D Reviews are being rewarded with virtual cookies, so if you're virtually hungry, you know what to do. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cookies also going to melbor2014! Still don't own the Joker, sadly. :(**

The first half of the day seemed to drag on forever. Harleen's patience was just about to run out when the buzzer sounded, signalling the employees' lunchtime. Only half an hour to go.

Harleen sat down with her lunch next to Abigail, a black-haired, relatively new doctor at Arkham who she had befriended on her first day of interning.

"You really gonna do it?" Abigail asked, taking a bite of her sandwich as Harleen nodded. "You're crazy, Harley. Crazy. That guy gives me the creeps."

"I know, I know." Harleen sighed. "But don't you ever wonder why he is the way he is? What could've happened to him in the past that made him into who he is today? What..."

"No." Abigail interrupted. "The guy's a nutcase. He's not like the rest of 'em, he doesn't have a reason for anything. He just commits crimes for the fun of it. That's all there is to it."

Harleen shook her head. "There's a reason for everything. I want to find out what his reasons are."

Abigail shrugged. "Well, there's no harm in trying. Good luck, you'll need it."

"Thanks." Harleen smiled warmly.

She didn't eat much of her lunch, she was far too excited about what was coming next. She sat at her table, watching the clock on the wall of the cafeteria tick by slowly. Twenty minutes, ten minutes, five minutes...Finally, the buzzer sounded again. Harleen turned around to see Dr. Arkham smiling down at her. "Ready for your session with 4479?" he asked.

"I'll be right out here if you need me," Dr. Arkham told her, opening the door to a therapy room. "Have fun."

Harleen smiled, taking a deep breath and slowly walking through the door. The room was dimly lit, the lights flickering slightly as if they needed new bulbs. Two chairs sat at opposite sides of a table in the centre of the room. She had been in a few of these rooms before, but they had never seemed as eerie as right now.

That's when she saw him. This time he was definitely staring right at her. He was sitting back in one of the chairs, smiling to himself. Harleen tried to make herself look as confident as possible as she walked over to her chair and sat down, his eyes following her the entire time. There was silence for a moment as he looked her over. She avoided eye contact, she had to admit she did feel slightly threatened around him. Harleen cleared her throat, finally looking him in the eye.

"I'm Dr. Quinzel, I'm going to be having sessions with you twice a week," she introduced herself, looking down at the Joker's file. "You haven't given your name?" Harleen questioned, looking back up at him.

"Nope." he answered simply.

He looked at her, eyebrows raised, with an almost challenging smile on his make-up free face. He sat forward quickly, leaning on the table. Harleen used all of her strength not to sit back away from him. _Don't let him know you're scared... _She noticed him looking down at her ID badge.

"Harleen Quinzel, huh?" he smirked, "If you re-work it a bit...you get, uh, Harley Quinn."

Harleen smiled. "Like the clown character, I know, I've heard it before."

He nodded, leaning back slightly, eyes still fixed on her.

"You know, you're not going the get anywhere with me _Harley_. You, uh, might as well give up."

"I'm not like the other doctors, I'm not going to give up on you. I'm going to cure you, set you free from whatever's going on in your mind. I'm here to help you... Oh, and it's Dr. Quinzel to you."

He sniggered, shaking his head and leaning right back into his chair, half disappearing into the shadows.

"I mean it." Harleen insisted.

His snigger turned into the creepiest giggle Harleen had ever heard.

"I don't want your, uh, 'help', Harley, and I don't need it either." he sneered, his laughter stopping.

"Well that's tough, because you're stuck with me," she smiled sweetly.

"Well?" Dr. Arkham asked doubtfully as Harleen walked into his office with a slight spring in her step half an hour later.

"Such an interesting character," Harleen answered.

"He certainly is," Dr. Arkham nodded, smiling warmly. "I suppose you're here to tell me you've had enough of him?"

"No, actually I was wondering when my next session with him is."

Dr. Arkham looked at the girl with surprise. She was already doing better than most of the doctors, but he wasn't so sure if that was a good thing.

**I do apologise if that was dreadful, you can have more cookies. :) Review, please. Easiest way to get virtual cookies! :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow...cookies for Mungo'sLittleTeazer, eskie02, Reverse Mousetrap, Running_on_coffee, Reno254, MinttBerrryCrunchhh, animals are my life, and ShadowCat98. Glad people are actually reading this. :) Yes, I'm a Joker Blogs fan, I have been caught. :P Sorry this took a while, especially since it's the shortest chapter ever in the history of short chapters, but I was busy being a secret agent. Still don't own the Joker, although I'd like to...**

Harleen couldn't wait for her next meeting with him. The other doctors were right, he refused to talk about himself. She hadn't learned a thing about him in the entire session, but she told herself that, given time, he'd open up to her. She wasn't going to give up like the other doctors, she wasn't a quitter.

She felt unusually happy on her way home. She had a grin plastered across her face from the moment she left Arkham. She wasn't sure why, the Joker seemed to have a strange effect on her. Maybe it was the excitement of her first real patient, maybe it was being more succesful than most of the other doctors already. Or maybe it was him... _Three more days until our next meeting, _she thought. She wasn't sure she could wait that long.

He sat silently in his cell, just as he did every night, thinking his day over. Food was terrible, as always. Life was too boring at Arkham. He missed him crime sprees, and he missed the Bat. He needed a challenge. He hadn't talked to anybody that day except Crane and some blonde intern. Seemed that the Asylum had decided to give it another go at cracking him. _Not gonna work, _he shook his head, a smile forming on his scarred lips. How many doctors had tried to figure him out? Probably the entire staff. It was absurd to even think that an intern could do any better.

_What was her name again? _he thought, licking his lips. _Harley... _He liked her. He saw something deep inside of her that he saw in himself. Maybe, just maybe, he could help her let it out, just like he had done many years ago.

If he brought her down to his level, just as he had done with Harvey Dent, she could help him escape this depressing, padded box. Now that was a plan.

**Review etc. for cookies. I love bribing you people. :')**


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